PM Orban to meet parliamentary party leaders to discuss early elections

Prime Minister Ludovic Orban meets on Tuesday at the Government House leaders of the parliamentary parties to discuss calling early elections. According to the Government's Press Office, Orban said Monday that the Liberals will take all necessary steps to reach early elections. "We will continue discussions with the parliamentary political formations to reach an understanding in support of the early elections (...) We will take all the necessary steps to get at early elections. We will continue talks, negotiations and maybe we will convince [the People's Movement Party - PMP] to support the early elections," said Orban, who added that PNL rules out any scenario that does not lead to early elections. PMP is not afraid of the early elections and considers that this year is a lost one to implement the projects that the Romanians need, said the party's national leader, Eugen Tomac, on Sunday. National Chairman of the Save Romania Union (USR) Dan Barna announced last Thursday, after presidential consultations, that he had sent President Iohannis a decision to support the scenario of early elections. According to Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania (UDMR) national leader Kelemen Hunor, organizing early parliamentary election on the same day as local elections would violate the constitution. He specified that an early parliamentary election could be organised on July 5, at the earliest. National Chairman of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats (ALDE) Calin Popescu-Tariceanu said after presidential consultations, that the solution of the early elections seems to him to be inadequate, as it would have negative consequences in political and economic terms, and the time gained from holding it on schedule would be insignificant. In his opinion, the emergency ordinance regarding the organisation of a general election before the deadline adopted by the Orban Government would legalise "electoral tourism". Pro Romania leader Victor Ponta said last week that the appointment of Ludovic Orban to the position of prime minister is "a non-serious matter." He is convinced that the proposal made by President Klaus Iohannis will not be voted in Parliament. The national minority group does not want early elections and will support the prime minister proposed by President Iohannis, informed lawmaker Varujan Pambuccian after consultations with the head of state last Thursday. Acting national chairman of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) Marcel Ciolacu said on Monday that the Prime Minister-designate Ludovic Orban is proposed by a party that does not vote on him and added that he has no agreement with him over early elections. Ciolacu said that he would not go to consultations on early elections if Orban asked him to. AGERPRES (RO - author: Daniel Florea, editor: Claudia Stanescu; EN - author: Corneliu-Aurelian Colceriu, editor: Adina Panaitescu)